“And God said to Abram, ‘Go forth, etc.’” What would the verse have been lacking if it had simply said “Go forth to the land that I will show you”? Why did it need to specify these details from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house? Also, the word lecha [for yourself] needs explanation, as it doesn’t mean “go for your benefit.” Furthermore, the Ramban’s interpretation that it’s similar to the phrase I will go for myself to the mountain of myrrh (Song of Songs 4:6) doesn’t seem correct, as both “li” and “lecha” should have a different explanation that’s closer to the simple meaning. It appears to me that the Holy One, Blessed be He, moved him from one matter to another, like how we educate a child, because perhaps it would be difficult for him to accept everything at once. Therefore, He made three divisions and moved him to a fourth matter. Initially, He asked him to leave his land, which was a small request, since a person doesn’t gain more benefit from his own land than from other lands. The only benefit is the fame and imagined honor people give someone in a place where they know him, but beyond this, he has no help or support from all the people of his land who are not related, so it’s easy to be persuaded to leave them. Then, after he removed his whole land from his heart, He addressed the possibility that his soul might be bound to the people of his kin, from whom he had some help and support, as families typically do, where one person bears the burden for his relatives and they don’t allow strangers to dominate them. This offered somewhat more benefit than the first. After he was persuaded of this too, there was concern that his soul might cling to his father’s house, where he had additional benefit beyond all these, namely the benefit of wealth, as house and wealth are inherited from fathers.

Beyond these three types of closeness, there is a fourth type of closeness, for a person is closer to their own essence than to all these three types of relatives. Therefore, it says lech lecha [go to yourself] — to your essence, just as it was said to Adam to work the ground from which he was taken. And earlier in the book of Genesis (3:23), I explained that this refers to Mount Moriah, because Adam was created from the place of his atonement, and his origin is from Mount Moriah, as his dust was taken from there. And through the ladder in the lower Temple, which is aligned with the upper Temple, pure souls ascend and descend. Therefore, there lies the essence of the body, and there is the hidden strength of the soul. Thus, a person is closest to their own essence more than all types of relatives mentioned, therefore it says lech lecha. The same expression is used regarding the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22:2), And go for yourself to the land of Moriah. In both instances, the location was not immediately revealed to him, as here it says which I will show you, and in the Binding it says which I will tell you. This is because the Holy One, Blessed be He, did not want to reveal to Abraham the place of origin of body and soul until His holy spirit would first be poured upon him from above. For it is known (Tanchuma Bo 5) that prophecy does not rest outside the Land of Israel, and therefore as long as he was outside the Land, until he had the spirit of prophecy, he could not know or understand the essence of the soul whose source is from Mount Moriah, and even the nature of physical creation from there, he could not understand. Only upon entering the Holy Land, a place suited for prophecy, did the Holy One, Blessed be He, show him the virtues of that holy place and how it is the place of man’s essence, for there is his home and the source from which the soul is hewn, and the quarry of matter. For this reason, it was proper for him to leave all these and go to cleave to that holy place, for there he would achieve attachment to the Divine Presence. And this is what Rashi explained about journeying toward the Negev — to go to the south of Jerusalem and Mount Moriah.

For this reason, the phrase “And God appeared to him” is not mentioned at the beginning of this vision. Rather, it only appears after he entered the land [of Israel], for then he was ready to see divine visions. But before this, while he was still outside the Land [of Israel], he only heard the voice of words, for God had not yet appeared to him until he came to the Land, as will be explained shortly. Therefore, he called that place “Sulama of Tzur” [the ladder of the rock], as it appears in the Yalkut on this portion: “When Abraham reached Sulama of Tzur, he said ‘Let my portion be in this land.’” How did the author of the Midrash know that Abraham reached Sulama of Tzur? Certainly, his intention refers to Mount Moriah, for that is the location of the ladder that Jacob saw standing in Beth El, and through that ladder souls ascend and descend, and there is the rock from which the body is hewn, as it is written Look to the rock from which you were hewn (Isaiah 51:1). For from that rock, which is called the Foundation Stone [Even Shetiyah], the general world was founded, and also man, who is called a small world, was formed from the place of that rock, where the ladder for the soul is also located, as mentioned. And for this reason, the phrase “lech lecha” is used here, and in the story of the Binding [of Isaac], and similarly in the verse I will go for myself to the mountain of myrrh, and the rain is over and gone for itself — it has gone to its source, for mist rises from the earth. And similarly Rise up and cross over the brook for yourselves (Deuteronomy 2:13) — this also refers to the Land of Israel. And likewise I will go for myself to the great ones (Jeremiah 5:5) — for there is the dwelling of the complete ones. And so too, all instances of “li” [for/to me], “lo” [for/to him], “lecha” [for/to you], and “lahem” [for/to them] in Scripture are explained in this way, and Abraham understood from the words lech lecha to go to the land of Canaan, even though he was not told which land to go to.

“And I will make you into a great nation, etc.” [God] instructed him that even those three perceived benefits that you have from your land, your birthplace, and your father’s house will also be available to you there. For if you leave your birthplace, the place of your family, and you might worry that in times of need you won’t have brothers or people who have mercy on you, regarding this He said “I will make you into a great nation” — for there too, many families will emerge from your loins. And if you are concerned about inheriting wealth, behold, here I will bless you with wealth as well. And if you are worried about the good name you have in your land where people know you, [He says] “I will make your name great” here too. And corresponding to the statement “lech lecha” [go for/to yourself] which refers to your essence, He said, “and you shall be a blessing” — you will be the source of blessings through cleaving to that holy place from which abundance flows to the entire world and which is the source of all blessings, for the waters of blessing flow from the Temple. And by way of seeking out the Holy Land, the Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks out all lands. Thus, through cleaving to the place that is the source of blessings, you too will become a source of all blessings, and through cleaving there to the Divine Presence, your mouth will be like the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and it will be in Your power to bless whomever you wish.

In the Talmudic tractate Pesachim (117b), regarding “I will make you into a great nation” — this refers to what we say [in prayer] “God of Abraham,” etc., because Abraham became a greater nation than all the forefathers, as all that descended from Isaac and Jacob is also attributed to Abraham. Additionally, beyond Isaac and Jacob, Ishmael and the children of Keturah came from him as well. And I will bless you [refers to blessing] with wealth — this is what we say “God of Isaac,” for he was blessed with wealth more than all of them, as it is said, Isaac sowed in that land and found in that year a hundredfold, and God blessed him (Genesis 26:12). And I will make your name great — this is what we say “God of Jacob.” As our Rabbis said (Megillah 18a), And He called him El — the Holy One, Blessed be He, called Jacob “El,” etc. And according to its simple meaning, he was called by the name Israel because you have striven with God and with men. But Abraham was only [called] the father of many nations.

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. The reason it doesn’t say “and I will curse those who curse you” in the same way it says and I will bless those who bless you, is because to man belong the arrangements of the heart (Proverbs 16:1). Before a person expresses any speech outwardly, he first arranges it in his heart and thoughts. It is known that regarding good deeds, the Holy One combines thought with action, but regarding evil thoughts, the Holy One does not combine them with action, as it is said: Had I seen iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have heard (Psalms 66:18), and it is written: Before they call, I will answer (Isaiah 65:24). Because before a person expresses his request verbally, he has already contemplated it in his heart, therefore the Holy One answers from His holy heavens before he calls. This is different from flesh and blood, where when someone asks something from his fellow, he needs to express it with his lips because no person knows what is in another’s heart. But the Holy One, who examines hearts, fulfills all the desires of one’s heart, as it is written: May He grant you according to your heart (Psalms 20:5), and as it is said: To man belong the arrangements of the heart, but from the Lord comes the answer of the tongue (Proverbs 16:1). He wished to resolve this difficulty with this explanation: If truly the Holy One fulfills one’s request after it has been arranged in a person’s heart, then why did God command prayer with the mouth? To this he says, “from the Lord comes the answer of the tongue” — this is God’s gift that He gave the answer of the tongue to man. As our Sages said (Yevamot 64a), “The Holy One desires the prayers of the righteous.” This is because they are compared to the Holy One as a beloved child to his father — if the child asks something from his father, even though the father knows what the child needs, nevertheless, the father wants the child to express his request verbally because the father delights in the speech of the child’s lips. Similarly, the Holy One says to Israel, “Let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet to approach Me.” The Holy One does not wish to conduct Himself with us like earthly rulers, who don’t allow much speaking before them and immediately when they understand the requester’s intention, they say “shorten your words” or “finish your speech and leave.” But the Holy One, in His kindness, is not so, as it is written: You have given him his heart’s desire, and the request of his lips You have not withheld, Selah (Psalms 21:3). Because we are in His eyes like a delightful child and precious son. This is what it means: Even though before they call, I will answer, nevertheless, while they are still speaking, I will hear, for I have not withheld from them the expression of their lips.

And this is what is meant when it says, If I had perceived iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not hear. And if you might say that this is also true regarding good things [positive thoughts], Scripture teaches us Indeed, God has heard, He has attended to the voice of my prayer. For regarding prayer, this is not the case — rather, He hears the voice of my prayer even though I have not yet uttered the words from my mouth. And if you might ask, “If so, why does God require me to tread His courtyards to pray before Him?” To this it states, Blessed be God, Who has not removed my prayer and His kindness from me. For I give thanks to His blessed Name that in His kindness He has not removed my prayer and desires the utterance of my lips, as stated. Therefore it says And I will bless those who bless you, because one who blesses you first thinks it in their heart before bringing forth the blessing from their mouth, and a good thought is considered like an action. Therefore, I bless them even before the blessing comes forth from their mouth. However, regarding those who curse, this is not the case. Rather, and the one who curses you — only after they have brought forth the curse from their mouth, then I will curse them but not before they have brought it forth from their mouth, because the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not combine an evil thought with action.

Another reason for this matter: It is not comparable — one who pours from a full and overflowing vessel to one who pours from a lacking vessel, as we find regarding the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:23) So shall you bless the children of Israel, say to them. For the prayer leader first says to the kohen “May God bless you,” because the prayer leader is an intermediary between the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the kohanim. He first says to the kohen “May God bless you” and brings down the divine abundance through the spiritual channels so that the kohen becomes a vessel full of God’s blessing. Only afterwards does the kohen pour from his full vessel onto Israel, for then the blessing takes greater effect when the one bestowing the blessing first has the blessing within himself essentially and first. For how can one bless if he himself is not blessed? Therefore it says I will bless those who bless you — meaning that before they bless You, I will first bless them so that they will be vessels full of God’s blessing and will pour onto You from a full and overflowing vessel. However, regarding curse this concept does not apply at all, therefore it says and the one who curses You I will curse — afterwards and not before. And as for why it says those who bless you in plural form but the one who curses you in singular form — this indicates that many will bless him, but those who curse will not be many, rather isolated and inferior individuals like Nimrod and his associates, whose opinions are nullified compared to all [other] people.

“And those who curse you I will curse.” The text should have said “and those who curse you I will curse” [using the same Hebrew root] or “and those who damn you I will damn.” This variation is also difficult to understand in the verse for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who scorn Me will be made light of (First Samuel 2:30), as it should have said “and those who scorn Me will be scorned.” It appears that these three expressions — scorn [bizayon], curse [klalah], and damn [arur] — each is more severe than the other, in ascending order. Scorn is the lightest of all, being passive — the scorner simply doesn’t show respect to the scorned one, as it is written for he has scorned the word of God (Numbers 15:31). Our Sages explained this refers to one who leaves a Torah scroll and walks away. The term “curse” [klalah] can also mean scorn, as Rashi explained on the verse for a curse of God is hanging (Deuteronomy 21:23), but it can also mean an actual potent curse, close to the meaning of “damn” [arur]. However, regarding “arur,” our Sages said it includes excommunication, ban, and curse — all these meanings are contained within it. It is known that everything depends on who is doing the shaming and who is being shamed. For if a lowly, worthless person scorns or curses an elder of high standing, it is not sufficient for that person to merely receive scorn or curse in return, as the damage is not equivalent to the distress — the lowly person doesn’t care about being shamed and treats it as a joke. Therefore, regarding God, it couldn’t say “those who scorn Me will be scorned,” as this wouldn’t be equivalent to the damage done to the King, Lord of Hosts, when a person who is already holding onto contempt and is thoroughly despised scorns the words of the supreme and exalted King God. Therefore, God will add curse and shame upon his honor and curse him severely according to the measure of the one who scorns. Similarly with Abraham, who was the father of many nations and all those in his generation were as nothing compared to him, therefore it is not sufficient for those who curse him to receive a mere curse in return. Rather, those who curse you I will damn — I will add damnation to them according to their measure. However, regarding those who bless and honor, the measure is equal — to bless those who bless and honor those who honor.

And regarding what is stated here “and the one who curses you” while concerning the Holy One, Blessed be He, it states “and those who scorn Me” — this is because the language of curse is not applicable toward the Divine, for what can it give or add? Rather, the language of scorn is more appropriate for one who does not conduct himself with proper respect toward God’s word. A flesh and blood person should be among those who are insulted but do not take offense, yet regarding a curse it is appropriate to be particular. And concerning what is written here I will bless those who bless you while later it states for those who honor Me I will honor — these two blessings are not similar to each other. For blessing given to a person means an addition of abundance and increase, and this is not applicable toward the Divine, for what can one give Him through his blessing? Rather, their meaning is a blessing of thanksgiving. If so, how are these blessings related to each other that it would say “I will bless those who bless Me”? And concerning a person, it’s not appropriate to say “I will honor those who honor you,” because there is no comparison between the honor that one person gives to another and the honor that the wise inherit from God. However, the blessings are similar to each other, because certainly it is not within a person’s power to give blessings directly from his own hand, rather he blesses by saying “may God do good with you,” and with that same blessing that he blesses, God will also bless the one who gives the blessing.

And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew. Earlier (Genesis 11:31) it states And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law. This is because before Abram was promised that he would have children, he kept his distance from Sarah due to her being barren, since all those relations would not result in procreation. Therefore it states And Sarai was barren, she had no child. And immediately following this, And Terah took Abram etc. Because she was barren, he placed Lot between them. However, after He was told I will make you into a great nation and was promised children, it writes And Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot, because the language of “took” indicates that it was as if he married her a second time, after having previously separated from her, similar to what is said A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi (Exodus 2:1). And what is written And Abram went as God had spoken to him and Lot went with him means that Lot went with him of his own accord, but Abram did not bring him close, and on the contrary distanced him, and [instead] took Sarai etc. Another explanation: Terah would prioritize his closest relatives, therefore he first took Abram his son, and then took Lot his grandson [because grandchildren are like children], and afterward took his daughter-in-law Sarai. But Abram first took Sarai his wife because a wife is like one’s own body, and only afterward took Lot who was not like his own body.

“Until the place of Shechem, until Elon Moreh”: [God] showed him [Abraham] the [future] acceptance of the Torah and the oath that would take place at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. He showed him the acceptance of the Torah to indicate that it was in the merit of accepting the Torah that he earned the promise, To your descendants I will give this land, as it is written: He gave them the lands of nations, and they inherited the toil of peoples, in order that they would keep His statutes and observe His laws (Psalms 105:44). And regarding what was stated above and I will curse those who curse you, He indicated that this would be [applicable only] until Elon Moreh but not including it, because all the blessings and curses [pronounced] at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal would be with the Almighty’s consent, and He would not curse those who pronounce these curses, as their cursing serves a purpose and is considered a blessing.

“And the Lord appeared to Abram.” The reason why God did not appear to him immediately when He said Go forth from your land was because at that time he was still outside the Land of Israel, like Ibn Ezra’s opinion, and outside the Land of Israel, His Divine Presence does not reveal itself, as evidenced from [the story of] Jonah (Mekhilta Bo 12:4). Therefore, the name of God was not revealed to him in a vision; rather he only heard the voice of words, and consequently he did not build an altar there, only [later] to the Lord who appeared to him. But while He had not yet appeared to him, he did not want to build an altar in a place where the Divine Presence does not dwell. And this is what was said regarding Moses (Exodus 4:1): for they will say, “The Lord has not appeared to you,” because it is not His way to appear outside the Land of Israel, and through this they would deny [Moses] saying, “You didn’t even hear a voice.”

And he journeyed, going on still toward the south. Perhaps he wanted to become wise in divine matters, since one who wishes to become wise should turn southward (Bava Batra 25b). However, he did not seek wealth, as evidenced by his statement I will not take from a thread to a shoe strap. And those gifts that he received through Sarah — he was compelled to accept them so that they would not kill him, for they all gave them to him as flattery, hoping perhaps he would be persuaded to give them his sister as a wife. Had he not accepted them, they would have thought he was unwilling to give her to them and would have killed him. Nevertheless, he did not want to benefit from these gifts and gave them to the sons of the concubines, as it is said But unto the sons of the concubines… Abraham gave gifts (Genesis 25:6). These were the same gifts that he had already received from the Egyptians; he gave them to the sons of the concubines, namely the children of Keturah, who was Hagar the Egyptian as Rashi explains, for from the Egyptians he took the gifts and returned them to their origin by giving them to the sons of Hagar the Egyptian.

“About the matter of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” [The Kli Yakar asks:] Don’t we already know that Sarai was Abram’s wife? Furthermore, what was Pharaoh’s transgression, since he believed she was his sister? Also, regarding Rashi’s interpretation that [the phrase “about the matter [davar, which can also mean word] of Sarai”] means she commanded the angel “Strike!” and he struck — the word “strike” isn’t mentioned in the verse. Therefore, it seems to me that although before the general public Sarah said “I am his sister,” nevertheless, to Pharaoh she revealed the truth that she was Abram’s wife, thinking that a king who sits on the throne of justice would not commit wrongdoing. However, Pharaoh ignored her words, saying “I believe your first statement [that you’re his sister].” Therefore, God afflicted him about the davar of Sarai — because of Sarai’s statement. And what was her statement? Wife of Abram — for she had told him “I am Abram’s wife.” And [this is why] Pharaoh [later] said to Abram, Why did you say “She is my sister”? Because I would have believed you rather than her, as I thought perhaps she was saying this just to avoid relations without marriage. Another explanation for about the matter of Sarai, Abram’s wife: Because she was a married woman, therefore these plagues came upon him.